The Drug Ring
by msjgatsby
Summary: Mike has a problem with Paige's new drug ring.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Yes, I know I shouldn't start new stories while I'm still trying to finish two old ones, but sometimes you sit down to write and can't help what comes out of your fingers.

* * *

Mike shrugs off the attention of the nurse who's trying to bandage his black eye. Ripping off the bowtie on his neck and pulling at the collar of his tux, he storms down the hall. Police officers and staff jump out of his way as passes through the narrow quarters. When he finally reaches his destination, he throws open the door and bursts into the small interrogation room.

"We need to talk!" He yells, letting the door slam behind him.

For a moment Mike almost forgets his anger. There in the small room, flooded by light, stood Paige in a gorgeous white dress, her blonde hair perfectly styled and flowing down her shoulders. She is startled by his entrance, and turns around from the desk she's leaning over to stare at him with smoky green eyes. It nearly took his breath away from how perfect she looked.

"Hi." She says cheekily. Seeing his face, concern washes over her and she walks over to him, seeming oblivious to his rigid stance shaking with anger. "Your eye. Poor you. He really got you didn't he?"

Mike brushes her gentle hand away from his temple and continues to glare down at her. He wishes she would show just a little more emotion over how the day had turned out. She seems remarkably blasé about the whole incident and he is so angry he can't speak.

"What's wrong?" She asks, looking up at him confused.

"Things didn't go exactly to plan there did it?!" Mike growls between gritted teeth.

"What are you talking about? We just arrested the most notorious drug lord on the west coast. We've got enough dirt on Sebastian Conseco to put him away for life. He was about to flee the country, hell he'd already left, and we still got him. We had no casualties and we proved how well Graceland can work together with interdepartmental cooperation." Paige is still elated from today's victory. "This was a damn good day."

"Right, except for that one small detail you're leaving out…"

"Look, I'm sorry you got punched in the face, but you kind of asked for it." Paige tries not to laugh at the ridiculous pout on Mike's face. "Plus, the black eye's kind of hot. It makes you look tough. Sexy..."

Paige leans in flirtatiously, letting her fingers trail down his jawline to his neck, making him shiver. He is not in the mood for her teasing though. He finds his willpower and steps away from her. He is not going to let her change the subject by distracting him.

"Ok Mike, what's up?" She asks, rolling her eyes. She doesn't understand how he can be in a bad mood at a time like this. There were years of work behind this victory. They'd probably all get medals of honor.

"You know if we hadn't arrested Conseco, right now we'd be at the reception." He says softly, looking down at the paperwork on the desk and not at her.

"And that upsets you because you really wanted to eat prime rib and do the YMCA?" She asks glibly, crossing her arms over her chest. He is making way too big of a deal about this.

"You know damn well why that upsets me!" Mike growls.

"No, I really don't. Today was a good day, Mike. Don't ruin it." Paige pushes herself up to a sitting position on the desk, preparing herself for what she's sure is going to be a long fight.

"Today was your goddamn wedding day!" Mike yells at her. "You're sitting there in the dress, acting like nothing's wrong!"

"Because nothing is wrong! Look, the guy had already fled the country and we found a way to get him back. We won. Let's celebrate." Paige begs. Sometimes she wishes Mike would be a little more easy going and not freak out about every detail. He takes everything so seriously. He's going to give himself a heart attack before forty.

"The plan was to arrest him BEFORE you two entered the church! Not afterwards." Mike runs a frustrated hand through his hair, once again replaying the day in his mind in disbelief. He can't believe it all went so wrong. He still is trying to find a way he could have stopped it from happening.

"Yes, and despite some delays that required a quick reshuffling of plans, we still managed to arrest him." Paige is starting to get annoyed at Mike's negative attitude. "Even with your incredible act of stupidity."

"MY stupidity?! You think I'm the dumb one here?" Mike can't believe after what she did that she could say this. Was he the only sane person left in the world?

"You objected! No one ever actually objects when they say 'speak now or forever hold your peace'. It is a complete formality! You especially don't object in the middle of a wedding where there's about fifty armed mobsters! You're lucky you didn't get shot!" Paige's good mood is swiftly evaporating as Mike seems intent to pick a fight. She was willing to let his reckless behavior slide because it had all turned out ok, but if he was going to bring up minor details so was she.

"Of course I objected to you marrying a drug lord! The real question is why didn't you?" Mike screams.

"Because I'm a professional and I get the job done." Paige is starting to get angry.

"We're not talking about you flirting with a bouncer to grant you access to a club, Paige. We're talking about you getting married to the drug king of Cuba!"

"See you said you were fine that night and I knew you weren't ok with that!" Paige feels a brief moment of satisfaction for being right. He had claimed that he didn't mind that she had hit on the bouncer to get in, but he'd been pissy the whole week afterwards. Now he finally admitted it. The gratification is short lived however, because she knows that she's going to have to put up with a pissy Mike all week. Lot's of long runs, and the silent treatment peppered with sarcastic comments. "Here we go again... Mike, it's just part of the job."

"Yes, and so are the lies."

"I don't lie to you." Paige insists immediately. It's not like Mike has room to talk, he only lied to her and the whole house for the first several months he lived there.

"Oh yeah? How did Conseco get back into the country, Paige? Isn't it a little convenient that you go to Tijuana for a weekend, don't take your phone and come back with this on your finger?!" Mike grabs her left hand roughly, holding up the huge diamond on it to the light.

"I told you. I didn't sleep with him." Paige yanks her hand away from Mike's grasp. "Why don't you trust me?"

"Because this is what you do, Paige! You make men blind. They fall in love with you and they can't see the lies. Look at Conseco. He's going to spend the rest of his life behind bars all because he couldn't resist coming back for you." Mike says harshly. "How do I know that you're not playing me too?"

"Playing you for what exactly? You think I'm fucking you to get out of chores?!" Paige laughs sardonically, "What does dating you possibly offer me other than trouble?"

"Oh we'll that's real nice. If that's the way you feel, I'll stop inconveniencing you." Mike says pulling away, and Paige realizes how harsh her words came out.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded, and you know it! Mike, I am risking everything to be with you. We both know our lives would be easier if we weren't together." Paige presses up against him and brings her hand to his cheek trying to force him to look at her. "I'm here willingly, because I would gladly risk everything for you. I love you Mike, no matter how I try to fight it. I do."

"It's all lies! I don't even know who you are." Mike insists. He is so tired of having this fight with her. This was the very first fight they had in the kitchen about Abby, and over a year later they're still having it. Mike will never get used to the lying in Graceland. Especially not when it concerns Paige.

"I'm your girlfriend." She reminds him firmly.

"Yeah? Well now you're Conseco's wife!" Mike spits harshly at her.

"So what? They're mutually exclusive?" Paige asks.

"Kind of! Yeah!." Mike yells back. "Don't give me that, 'Mike's a prude' smirk. This is not me overreacting."

"There's a difference. Conseco is the job. I have to do this or people get hurt. You are my choice. I choose you Mike." She presses up against him speaking softly, trying to calm him down. She presses soft kisses along his jawline, from his ear down his neck, nuzzling him affectionately, trying to make his firm stance melt into her. She promises softly, "He doesn't matter."

"I want to believe you." Mike closes his eyes at the familiar feeling of her lips. He just can't let go of the anger inside him.

"Then why don't you?" She murmurs into his neck.

"Because in that church, you said the same thing about me. When I objected you told Conseco that I didn't matter. That I had a foolish crush on you, and it would be crueler to make me watch you get married than shoot me."

"I was saving your life you idiot. You objected. What was I supposed to do? Watch you die?" Paige pulls back away from him to stare up at him in disbelief. How could Mike really hold that against her?

"You should have just let them shoot me!" Mike's heart feels like it's breaking all over again at the image of her kissing another man on that alter.

"I really think you're being a bit melodramatic here." Paige rolls her eyes, "Look it all worked out ok? He's behind bars, no one's shot, and I'm here with you."

"You're married."

"Yes. To a man I don't love, who's going to serve consecutive life sentences in a federal prison." Paige whispers wrapping around him as he turns away from her, "When we started this, you promised you would be fine with it. You swore you wouldn't get jealous. Mike, you know what my job entails. I don't enjoy this part, but even on my worst days I have you to come home to."

She kisses the back of his neck, her body pressed up closely to his back, her hands skimming over his chest, and Mike's body predictably starts to melt under her attention. It would be so easy for Mike to give in, and make love to her in this small room. They've done it dozens of times before. It's like she's conditioned his body to expect sex after every completed mission they have together. No matter how tired or torn up he is from a day in the field, it's his way of assuring himself that she's safe. That she's alive in his arms.

"Paige..." Mike wants to believe her, but she's so good at the lies.

He loves her but he can't deal with the jealousy that's eating him inside. Every time she leaves for the night, he's plagued by thoughts of who she's with and what she's doing. The times he's under with her are even worse, because then he sees how she smiles at other men, the way she flirts and laughs and sways.

She works her way around him so when she kisses his lips, he's lost in her. She's like his version of heroin, shooting through his veins. Her lips getting him high, making nothing else seem important. She runs her fingers through his hair and he grips her waist possessively.

Her kisses seem to calm him, and he feels the anger draining. She's here with him right now in this moment, and that has to be enough for Mike. Any day he might lose her. To another man, to death, to the lies. All sacrifices that Graceland requires. But right now she's here with him.

She feels him melting into her kiss as he pushes her back up against the desk they've made love on so many times before, returning her kisses.

"Come here." She murmurs, pulling him closer. She lets out a soft moan as he pushes her back to the table, feeling the familiar heat of him burning her skin and teases him playfully, "So you ever have sex with a married woman?"

Mike immediately turns ice cold.

"You're unbelievable." Mike grumbles, as he swiftly pulls away from her and turns on his heal, storming out of the room.

"Come on it'll be hot! I can keep the dress on." Paige calls after him laughing. "It'll be like you're my dirty pool boy! You can call me Mrs. Conseco!"

The door slams behind him, and Paige rolls her eyes. He's so sensitive sometimes. She hopes the run home calms him down a bit. She is not looking forward to dealing with a cranky Mike when she gets home. With a sigh, she adjusts her dress, bringing herself to terms with the fact that she is not getting any right now so she may as well get some paperwork done.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: You know how sometimes your head just seems so full of a million different thoughts that you think if you can just write them down you can clear up some space? I WISH it worked like that. Trying to free up some space anyways, because my mind should be focused on other things than this story. To quote some JRB "I'm feeling panicked, and rushed and hurried. I'm feeling out maneuvered and outclassed, but I'm so happy I can't get worried about this singular sensation things are moving too fast."

* * *

"So what was up with the temper tantrum at the station?" Paige asks walking into Mike's room where he's sitting reviewing case notes. "You just left. I thought we were going to go grab dinner."

"I just needed to get out of there." Mike grumbles, not looking up from his notes.

"What's going on? Did those guys give you a concussion?" Paige asks, walking closer to examine his head injury, but Mike pulls away angrily before she can touch him. "Why are you so mad? He's behind bars. The plan worked. We got him back into the country and arrested the bastard."

"Because you're married to a gangster thug! How are you not more upset about this?" Mike rolls his chair back away from her. The fact that she's not taking this seriously is making him even angrier.

"So I'll get an annulment. What's the big deal?" Paige shrugs, perching herself on his desk ignoring the papers scattered there.

"The big deal?! Paige you're married!" Mike screams, as if one of these time's she'll finally realize the fact and have the proper panicked reaction.

"Yes I'm technically 'married', but it doesn't mean anything. It was just for work. It's not like I cheated on you. Why does this bother you so much?" Paige asks, unable to understand why they can't move past this.

"Why? Because you're my girlfriend, and as you're boyfriend I have a right to get mad when my girlfriend marries a man WHO'S NOT ME!" Mike screams, standing up from his chair so forcefully it falls over behind him with a bang. Paige can't help it, she starts to giggle. She knows she shouldn't laugh. Mike is obviously genuinely upset by this for some reason, but once she starts, she can't stop. The whole situation is so ridiculous.

"It's not funny! Stop laughing." Mike wants to shake her, but his protests only make her laugh harder until she can't breath.

"You're so mad!" She manages to gasp out between giggles.

"Of course I'm mad! If you are going to get married to anyone, it should be to me!" Mike crosses his arms. The last phrase scares her enough to stop her laughter. "Why wasn't it me?"

"Are you serious?" Paige stares at him aghast.

"Of course I'm serious. You're the only one who seems to find this funny. You've never once mentioned marriage, kids, or the future to me."

"Wait, you think about stuff like that?" Paige is panicking at the sudden turn this conversation has taken.

"People do you know." Mike says stiffly.

"We've only been dating for three months." Paige backs away from his desk slowly, looking like a caged rabbit suddenly.

"You know I had feelings for you long before that." Mike argues, following her out from behind the desk.

"Yeah, I just didn't know you were thinking about… wow… y'know… that already." Paige sits down on Mike's bed, completely dumbfounded, and Mike shakes his head in frustration that she clearly is taken off guard by this. She shouldn't be. They're in love and exclusive, and she should have realized Mike was not a casual dater. He has plans for their future together and wishes she would catch up to where he is. Watching Paige learn how to be in a relationship as opposed to casual dating is like watching a small child try to walk for the first time.

"Look, it's not like I bought a ring. I just figured, when you were going to get a husband, I would be first in line." Mike sighs, and sits down on the bed beside her rubbing his temple.

"Mike, I don't even know if I want a husband." Paige admits softly, and watches as Mike's shoulders tighten in frustration. She quickly tries to clarify to calm him down and adds, "But, if I do, someday want one. You could still be him. This doesn't change that."

"No, now I have to be your second husband." Mike grumbles.

"Or my third…" Paige says flightily, and Mike shoots her a glare which only makes her grin widen as she shoves him playfully with her shoulder. "Maybe fifth. Don't assume you've got this locked down."

"Could you please take this a little more seriously? You're married!" Mike scolds her. Paige's playful nature is usually one of the things Mike loves most about her, but right now it's just pissing him off.

"You keep saying that." Paige rolls her eyes. Mike sometimes gets on these loops where he just obsesses over something, and usually it's something he can't control or change.

"Because you don't seem to realize it!"

"I realize it. I just don't care." Paige clarifies.

"I care!"

"Calm down. Under the circumstances, I'm pretty sure they'll grant me an annulment." Paige assures him. Deciding to try a different tactic, she leans in and nuzzles his ear, rubbing her hand on his inner thigh. "C'mon. Take it easy on me. It's my wedding day. I was promised a honeymoon, let's go get a hotel somewhere and you can celebrate my honeymoon with me… Come here."

She leans in and kisses Mike's lips. For a second she thinks she's won, but a second later he pushes her away. He stands up and walks away from the bed as quick as he can.

"No! I do not sleep with other men's wives! So until this whole thing is resolved, you're not getting any of this!" He yells at her, gesturing to his body.

"You're joking right?" Paige is dumbfounded. He's calling a sex boycott? On her? Seriously?

"No! So until this whole thing is done... no Mikey time!" He says sternly. The fact that she's just sitting on the bed grinning up at him, makes him even madder. Mike realizes that he may regret this soon, but right now he wants to punish her for getting married, and this is the only way he can think to do it.

"What? No Mikey time?" Paige can't help but laugh. She wants to take him seriously, but he's so damn adorable standing there all flustered insisting that he's cutting her off that she can't help it. He's so damn cute sometimes, even when he's not trying to be. "How will I get by with no Mikey time? What about hump day? It's almost November 5th and I bought new lingerie to go with my Guy Fawkes mask. You can't cut me off now. You're my boyfriend! I have needs!"

"Go have a conjugal visit from your husband!" Mike yells, storming out the door for the second time that day and slamming it behind him.

"You just stormed out of your own room!" Paige yells after him.

"I've got places to be!" Mike yells back sarcastically, so his voice echoes through the hallway and filters through the closed door to Paige. "I'm going to go marry a stripper! Don't worry. It's a work thing!"

"That's not funny!" Paige yells back to the door, remaining seated on his bed. She hears his angry foot steps disappear down the stairs and sighs. He just needs a while to cool down. She mutters confidently to herself. "I can hold out longer than him."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I realized after the last chapter, that people expected me to post more cat and mouse seduction games between Mike and Paige. I tried to oblige and wrote some cute drabbles, but ultimately decided that they really didn't fit in my original concept of this story. So I'm going to wrap it up as just a three chapter story, just in time for the new episode to premiere tonight. Nothing but fluff, while trying to keep it all pretty PG. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

November has been a frustratingly sex free month for Paige. She never expected Mike to last this long.

So it's no surprise to Mike when on December 2, his bedroom door is thrown open and into his room storms his involuntarily celibate girlfriend.

"Fine. You win. Here's the annulment." Paige slams the piece of paper down on the desk in front of Mike where he's working in his room. Leaning in challenging across the desk she orders him firmly, "Now take off your pants."

Mike looks at the piece of paper in front of him, adjusting to being so harshly pulled out of the zone he'd been in. He looks up at her, and she is stubbornly glaring down at him with her hands on her hips waiting for him.

"One more condition…" Mike says, standing up from his seat. His voice is calm, but his hand is shaking as he opens the top drawer to his desk.

Mike reaches into the drawer and pulls out a small velvet box which he places atop the annulment paper in front of him. Paige stares at it, and her breath catches in her throat. This cannot be what she thinks it is.

"Mike…" Her voice trembles, "What is that?"

Mike opens the lid of the small box between them, and crosses his arms in front of him. He leans casually, but challengingly against the desk as he watches her reaction. He stares at her expectantly as she stares down at the diamond shining up at her. He waits for her reaction as patiently as he can. It's a game of chess between them and he's upped the odds. He now has nothing to do, but wait for her next move in the game.

"Mike, what is that? Is it a prop?" Paige asks frantically. He can't be doing this. This is insane.

"Three months wages right? Well, FBI doesn't pay as much as the drug cartel, but I tried." Mike says, trying to keep his voice calm and cool even though he wants to jump out of his skin with anticipation.

"We've only been dating for five months…" She's having trouble breathing, and Mike starts to worry that she may actually have a panic attack.

Mike comes out from behind the desk, and shuts off any protests with a deep kiss. When he feels her finally begin to relax in his arms, he pulls his lips away but keeps her in his arms to say calmly, "We've been living together for almost two years. I love you."

"I love you too, but Mike with what we do…" She looks up at him with panic in her green eyes, and Mike worries that he's sprung all this on her too soon. She looks like she may run away at any second, like a skittish animal. He wants her to feel safe with him, the same way she makes him feel. To him the idea of committing to Paige isn't the least bit scary. The idea of marriage is calming. It feels safe to him knowing she'll always be there. He wants to make her feel the same way.

"What we do makes it even more important we have something sacred and safe to come home to. I know you think that's Graceland, but for me it's you. I knew. I knew from the second I saw you I want to be with you Paige. That's not going to change for me. Marry me."

"But work, even with us dating…" She protests.

"We're different branches. You're DEA. I'm FBI. There's no rules preventing this. Trust me I checked the manual." Mike jokes gently, trying to make her relax.

Her eyes dart over to the ring that still sits on the desk. She's staring at it like it's a bomb about to go off. Mike brings his hands to her face and gently directs her gaze back to his.

"Look, if you want I can give you a speech on all the things I love about you. About how you've changed me, and continue to push me. I can plan an elaborate undercover mission and write your name in the sky, ask your dad's permission, whatever you want." She's looking up at him with such panic in her eyes he's wondering if she's even hearing him talk, but he continues on anyways. "I thought about doing all that. The theatrics. The lies to make it a surprise and I decided I didn't want it with us. I wanted to do it here. In private. In our home. In the spot where we first kissed. Where we had our first fight. Where we first made love. I wanted it about you and me, facing the world together."

He waits for a moment for her reaction. She seems nearly catatonic and it's making him nervous. He had pictured all sorts of reactions from Paige, most of which involved her beating him up or lecturing him to be realistic. This pure panic was not something he's prepared for.

"I want to get down on one knee right about now, but I'm afraid if I stop holding you, you'll fall over." Mike says, only half joking. When she doesn't even crack a smile he sighs, "Look, do you love me?"

"You know I do Mike, but this…" Paige finally starts to answer, but her voice trails off.

"You married that gangster without a second thought. Why is it when I ask…"

"That's not fair. It's different. That was nothing. Mike you're the most important person in my life. This means something. This means everything." She seems like she may cry any second, and Mike regrets how much this seems to be stressing her out. At the same time it frustrates him. This shouldn't be stressful for her. This should be easy. There is not a single cell in Mike's body that doesn't want to marry her. He never thought he'd have to convince someone to marry him. Normally girls just threw themselves at him. Paige of course, was never just any normal girl.

"Then marry me. Be my wife, Paige." He implores her softly. He needs something, some proof that he is different from all the other men in her life. He needs one truth to hang onto amid all the lies. He needs to know that what they have together is sacred.

"Mike, I'm not wife material." She admits quietly, almost like she's admitting some major flaw with herself.

"If it's good enough for the drug king of Cuba, it's good enough for me." Mike jokes with a snarky laugh. He quickly bites his tongue when she glares at him. She looks studies his face, and in all honesty Mike's surprised she hasn't run away yet.

"Do I have to quit my job?" She asks shyly.

"I'd never ask you to do that." Mike assures her. As much as he worries about her safety every day, one of the things he loves most about Paige is how she selflessly risks herself for the greater good. She is the only person on earth he knows whose passion for her work matches his own.

"Do we have to move in together?" She asks cautiously.

"We already live together." He places his hands on her hips, partially to calm her, partially to keep her from running.

"You know what I mean. Do we have to leave Graceland?"

"No. This is our home." Mike comforts her. He would one day like the white picket fence, but home for him is wherever Paige is comfortable and he knows she needs this place right now.

"Do I have to cook?"

"The marriage will probably go better if you don't." Mike retorts quickly.

"What will change then?" Her arms are crossed over her chest and she's staring at Mike like he's holding a bomb.

"I will be more patient." Mike promises.

"No you won't." She rolls her eyes.

"You're right. No, I won't." Mike quickly agrees, because of course she's right, he won't. "I will love you though, Paige. Forever."

"Even if I don't accept the ring?" Paige's arms are crossed, and she's looking at him with a guarded expression.

"Is that a 'no'?" Mike asks softly. His heart feels heavy, but he had emotionally prepared for this. He knew it was fast, and there was a large chance she would say no.

"Answer the question Mike." She says, her voice low and dangerous.

"Even if you don't accept the ring, I love you Paige." Mike says sadly.

There is a moment of silence as he watches her. Paige is never silent. This can't be a good sign. This can only mean one thing, and the only sound Mike can hear is his heart breaking in his chest.

"Yes." Her voice is so soft he barely hears it. He's worrying he may have imagined it.

"Wait, yes that's a 'no' or yes as in... 'yes'?" Mike asks, not sure what emotion he should be feeling. She could not have actually said yes. This was Paige. There was no way Mike was going to be lucky enough to have her as his wife.

"Give me the ring, Mike." She orders, sounding more determined by the minute.

"Are you sure? I mean, if you really aren't ready, tell me now. I don't want you to-" Mike's now worried that he's pressured her too much. Worried that this was not what she wanted. He did not want her to say yes just to make him happy. He wanted her to want him too, as much as he wanted her.

"Michael Warren, if you don't put that ring on my finger right this second, I swear to god-" She begins to yell the way she does only when she really wants something, and Mike is so overcome with excitement that he grabs her and pulls her to him, kissing her with a crushing force before she can say another word.

The two stumble backwards towards his bed together, the ring itself forgotten on the desk. The ring will spend more time in the box than on Paige's hand throughout the years, but her heart will stay with Mike.


End file.
